Home About Chat Users Issues Party Candidates Polling Firms Media News Polls Calendar Key Races United States President Senate House Governors International

New User Account
"A collaborative political resource." 
Email: Password:

  Bury St Edmunds

Parliament DETAILS
Parents > United Kingdom > England > East of England > East of England  
Website
Established January 01, 1614
Disbanded July 04, 2024
ContributorRP
Last ModifiedIndyGeorgia May 29, 2024 09:45pm
DescriptionThe major town in this predominantly rural constituency is the market town of Bury St Edmunds. It also includes the other much smaller towns of Stowmarket and Needham Market and a multitude of tiny villages such as Haughley. The decline in the agriculture industry has hit this seat hard, as arable and pig farming, as well as seed, feed and breeding merchants, play a significant part in the local economy. New economic opportunities have been offered by the seat's proximity to Cambridge, which is only 25 miles along the A14. The IT explosion in Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds has provided an influx of business, jobs and people coming to that area. This is a traditional rural England constituency but is less safe a Tory seat than that would ordinarily suggest, courtesy of a strong Labour presence in both Stowmarket and Bury. Labour candidates ran David Ruffley a close race here in both 1997 and 2001 - in the former election they came within 400 votes of winning the seat. However, the Tory vote recovered in 2001 and even a lurch of votes from the Liberal Democrats to Labour was not enough to prevent Mr Ruffley winning again.

[Link]

HISTORY

Click For More History Details

RACES
Polls Close Description Takes Office

INFORMATION LINKS

PARTY REGISTRATION

MEDIA

BOOKS
Title Purchase Contributor

NEWS
Date Category Headline Article Contributor

DISCUSSION
Get Firefox!